No shade. Space Jam 2 is dope!! Lemme explain&#8230; 
Studio films today are glorified escapism with big, bright, flashy lights. And they always have been. Since the days of Charlton Heston in the epic of Moses, or Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, right up to the release of the first modern &#8220;blockbuster&#8221; of Jaws on June 20th, 1975, which literally scared a few generations of people out of the water. 
Ever since then, the entire film industry has shifted to bigger and bigger popcorn. The term &#8220;blockbuster&#8221; carried MASSIVE weight in the film world, and for society at large. Whether it be a stand-alone or a franchise, studio films were EVENTS that were hyped up for months and months with glitzy marketing campaigns from coast to coast, that millions of people would plan for, weeks and months in advance. Some would even camp-out in line for days, just to get opening night tickets. 
From A-list actors to mega-watt filmmakers, for nearly half a century now, blockbusters shaped how we consumed films. The buzz was palpable and, in many instances, being the first to the theater became a badge of film buff honor. We would often interact with an innocent glee when we spoke to someone who had seen the film EVERYONE had to see.
<div id="attachment_32515" style="width: 432px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32515" class=" wp-image-32515" src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-2-1-1024x640.jpeg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="422" height="264" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-2-1-1024x640.jpeg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-2-1-150x94.jpeg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-2-1-250x156.jpeg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-2-1-768x480.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px" />Jaws (1975)</div>
Consider the following&#8230;
In 1996-97, Michael Jordan, back from an early retirement, had just won his fourth championship, on the way to his second three-peat. And one could argue the 1996 Bulls&#8217; championship was the biggest of Jordan&#8217;s six rings. MJ was (and still is) one of the most recognizable faces on the planet at that time.
Then the first Space Jam hit theaters on March 11th, 1997, and became a major success, grossing over $230 MILLION worldwide (or just over $390M, adjusted for inflation in today&#8217;s). And with its release, sports, pop culture and entertainment were embarking on a journey that most couldn&#8217;t have predicted. One that would lead to a literal global economic shift that has influenced billions of people, from Europe to Southeast Asia to Africa to South America.
Flash forward to 2020…
The pandemic hit and everything changed. And while box office revenues had previously steadily increased with surging ticket prices, the signs of cracks in the traditional theatrical model have been growing for years and years, as films have continued to face serious competition from video games and online content.
Along the way comes LeBron James. Who, to literally tens of millions of people worldwide, is a man of the people. A modern day &#8220;Ali,&#8221; who’s built like an NBA 2K custom designed character at 6&#8242; 8&#8243; and a shredded 250 lbs. Probably the greatest athlete of all-time. With a social media following in the neighborhood of 150 MILLION followers, between Instagram and Twitter alone.
So while many have turned LeBron into a villain (for some of the dumbest reasons), to me, he’s the personification of EVERYTHING we should all aspire to be whether you&#8217;re an athlete, a content creator, a parent, or a teacher. He has been under arguably the most scrupulous lens since he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a teenager in high school. Ever since, the man is and has been an absolute pillar of society, investing heavily into the community, while he simultaneously built a nearly perfect sculpted brand of excellence defined by nothing short of hard work, passion, dedication, sacrifice and perseverance.
<div id="attachment_32516" style="width: 526px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32516" class=" wp-image-32516" src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-5-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="516" height="291" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-5-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-5-150x84.jpeg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-5-250x141.jpeg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-5-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iu-5.jpeg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px" />LeBron James</div>
So why is there so much hate against him and Space Jam 2?
Now. For all his talent, the one gene LeBron wasn&#8217;t born with is the &#8220;acting&#8221; gene. So walking into the &#8220;sequel&#8221; of Space Jam, I had less than zero expectations because LeBron isn&#8217;t Marlon Brando, Daniel Day Lewis, Tom Hardy or DiCaprio. He was OK in Trainwreck though, so I had a liiiittle bit of hope he wasn’t going to be god-awful. And he wasn’t. Far from it actually. So, when we remember that LeBron isn’t a classically trained actor, he delivered as good of a performance as he could’ve, with the script and character he was given. 
Beyond LeBron’s performance, everything technical about the film is literally A+. From the comedic beats to the direction to the animation to the production design to the VFX. 
As for the writing? The development process wasn&#8217;t quick or easy (no studio film ever is). There were a lot of creative cooks in the kitchen, and the fact that Warner Bros. didn&#8217;t deliver a tasteless fast-food burger, was almost surprising, if not certainly appreciated.
The writing and direction of the comedic beats were sharp and legitimately well done across the board. For anyone who grew up on Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes, I wondered if those characters would work in today’s environment, or if they would feel stale and regurgitated like so many other reboots and sequels. But the writers absolutely nailed the Looney Tunes characters from the jump. All the way to the final buzzer. They were, arguably, the best part of the film. ESPECIALLY for LeBron, who absolutely crushed his Tune character. His voiceover work, plus the writing, the animation, the direction, score and editing, all fit perfectly together. From deadpan sarcasm to slapstick throwback gags. Rounding them out was a solid performance from Don Cheadle, who could read the phone book and make it entertaining.
Combine all of that with the themes within the story. That is, the story of fatherhood, family, individuality, and the need to grow and be one&#8217;s self. Peppered with the subtext of friendship, sacrifice and perseverance. Then add in a smartly designed world that incorporated the entire Warner Bros. library, from The Flintstones to Harry Potter to The Matrix to Game of Thrones to Stephen King&#8217;s IT to King Kong. The world itself was a nostalgic amalgamation that TOTALLY worked in the &#8220;rules&#8221; of the &#8220;Warner Bros verse,” where the stakes of the endgame had all of humanity threatened to be stuck in, ironically, a video game.
Sure, Space Jam 2 isn’t free of flaw. Few movies are. But I don’t understand the hate that LeBron has gotten, outside of the fact that he’s the most criticized athlete today. Sometimes people just want to tear others down. Anyone paying attention to the Olympics and the recent struggles Simone Biles has faced, will know that there are just haters out there who can’t wait to see the greats fall from the mountain top. Call it projection.
But if we take a step back, we realize Space Jam 2 is an interesting amalgamation of film, sports, social media and video games. By weaving those elements together, it’s almost a commentary unto itself. One where we’re able to see how the “entertainment industry” has converged, into one singular product, through the medium of film. Not many movies can say as much. And that, by itself, is impressive.
So personally, I can’t help but appreciate the overall quality of the film and everyone who worked tirelessly to create it. Whether you have kids or not, whether you grew up with Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes or you didn’t, Space Jam delivers on so many levels. It’s simply a fun, big, bright, rollercoaster ride, filled with nostalgia, that&#8217;s an excellent escapist summer &#8220;blockbuster,” and then some…

Space Jam: A New Legacy. Context Matters

Pitching is a delicate dance between screenwriter and executive. A mating ritual of words and story ideas. A seduction. Much of it is rehearsed, but there is a certain amount of winging it involved, especially if screenwriters need to pivot to change their pitching tack in a flagging room. Screenwriters need to read the room, feel the room, and process non-verbal cues. This is called emotional intelligence and focuses on softer, less tangible skills.
Alexander Robb, producer and manager from Insignia Entertainment shares his insights.
One piece of pitching advice that always sticks in my mind is,
&#8220;a pitch is as much about WHAT you say in the room, as what you DON&#8217;T say in the room&#8230;&#8220;
There is a certain of amount of mind-reading, interpreting and extrapolating involved as screenwriters unravel what the nods, pauses, questions, inflections, poker faces, and exclamations of delight they might hear in a room as they guess a the progress and outcome of their meeting.
This leads me to some primary questions executives may be asking themselves, the answers to which I hope will help others see beyond the horizon.
1) Is this story something we can produce?
When it comes to creating a pitch, I don&#8217;t ask if the property is something that can be produced. Literally, anything can be produced these days, at a price, because of cheaper and more accessible technology. But I do wonder, whether and where it can sell? That&#8217;s not the job of the screenwriter though. That&#8217;s the job of their reps and producing partners. But every screenwriter needs to know the market and comps (comparable properties). And the players behind those comps. Talk the talk. Behave like an insider.
The screenplay selling market has ebbs and flows. Sometimes it changes often, and quickly, making it virtually impossible to stay ahead of the curve. Other times it&#8217;s relatively stable, from genre to format to budget to sales market demands. And every few years, lightning strikes and the industry shifts in new, unexpected, innovative ways.
Over the last decade, from the spread of streaming to roughly 70% of U.S. households, with AT LEAST one streaming service, to the explosion of smart phones that distribute a myriad of narrative formats, eyeballs have been drawn to completely new content in a dizzying array of formats.
<div id="attachment_24324" style="width: 256px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-24324" class=" wp-image-24324" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/will-porada-Nu21pq0k7KU-unsplash-1-196x300.jpg" alt="" width="246" height="377" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/will-porada-Nu21pq0k7KU-unsplash-1-196x300.jpg 196w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/will-porada-Nu21pq0k7KU-unsplash-1-98x150.jpg 98w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/will-porada-Nu21pq0k7KU-unsplash-1-150x229.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/will-porada-Nu21pq0k7KU-unsplash-1.jpg 419w" sizes="(max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px" />Photo by Will Porada</div>
You can literally create short form narrative on Instagram and be paid for it.
Since the emergence of cable television and the advent of basic video and digital technology a quarter of a century ago, we&#8217;ve witnessed the greatest shift in our industry&#8217;s economics, from tech influences from Silicon Valley and telcoms, to multinational vertical integration with massive exploitation of giant IP, to on the ground, new creative opportunities as storytellers.
From the screenwriter to the VFX artist and everyone in between, we&#8217;re on a new frontier&#8230;
So in the pitch, an extremely important element these days for screenwriters to know is the market. From format to format. And while you literally need a team of people around you to help you reach your fullest potential, every screenwriter needs to know how to effectively articulate the comps in their pitch.
You can weave in showrunner and filmmaker comps, to full on title comps. But weave them into your pitch seemlessly. The context therein will help you stick the landing.
2) Is this a writer we can hire for other projects?
There are a couple of ways of looking at this. In general, every pitch should leave the executive or producer hearing it think &#8220;this is the ONLY writer for this,&#8221; because you sell yourself as the master of the characters, narrative and vision.
So that should technically be the only focus of the pitch.
But there are ancillary benefits implied in this question.
Can you deliver a vivid, compelling, solid pitch of a series or feature in 20 minutes? Where you articulate an imaginative depiction of you take? Execs and producers will be able to see everything from the world to the cinema to the talent to the market, all under the lens of an elevated, sharp, rhythmic presentation that sucks us in like a story vortex.
By the time this is posted the story, the following may not be all that present and relevant, but I&#8217;m ironically out with a TV series pitch as I write this, based on a novel, from a client who has a great resume with buckets of TV experience.
I&#8217;ve got him in the room with a ton of executives who have all universally seen his talent through the pitch we developed over the last few months. That, in turn, has planted the seeds for future collaboration and employment. They&#8217;re literally now keeping him in mind for TV writing staffing and future development.
Moral of the story? Even if the company passes, but you crush the pitch&#8230; you&#8217;ll leave a lasting impression that often pays dividends. From staffing to OWAs (Open Writing Assigments).
3) Is this a writer we want to work with?
I&#8217;ll piggyback off the previous with this. Think of a new job. Any job. One where you had to interview. Your objective is simple. Sell yourself while vetting the employer so you feel like you&#8217;re as much a good fit for them, as they are for you.
The career of screenwriting is no different than any other. Each script, staffing job and OWA are all influenced by the collaborator&#8217;s desire to work with you in each of these opportunities.
And a great pitch can simply help you stand out to the point where execs and producers will remember you for future collaborations.
<img class=" wp-image-24321 alignright" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/people-3370833__340-250x157.jpg" alt="" width="407" height="256" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/people-3370833__340-250x157.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/people-3370833__340-150x94.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/people-3370833__340.jpg 543w" sizes="(max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />
4) Can the screenwriter develop?
This question boils down to the articulation and the presentation of the pitch. Is the writer able to lay out a roadmap of the characters&#8217; arcs and plotting, with a clear comp/cinematic vision? Does the idea have legs?
Going back per above, the screenwriter will show they&#8217;re the &#8220;master of their pitch.&#8221; That means they&#8217;ll be able to address any note, bc they have so much knowledge about the characters and society, the culture and world/universe, its rules, the tone and cinema, and a whole host of other elements. Which is important because all those details will all but assuredly change over the course of the development process. Hence the question. Can the writer develop?
So my advice is to simply KNOW YOUR STORY. Inside and out. Upsied down. Right way up. Be prepared for anything and everything.
If they stump you with a story element you weren&#8217;t prepared for, smile gratefully and state your intention to give it due consideration.
5) What words of caution would you offer screenwriters when presenting a pitch?
Great question. Here&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve run into before. And it&#8217;s rarely (read: never) been good.
More than a few times, unfortunately, I&#8217;ve literally been in the room where a writer, and even a fellow co-producer, after the initial pitch of the first project, why we were there to begin with, unexpectedly pitched another project. It made the focus of the initial business opportunity feel muddied and unnecessarily complex. Leading the execs to pass.
By all means pitch alternative projects in meetings, but only if they ask &#8220;what else have you got?&#8221;
Subsequent meetings are typically a deeper exploration of the initial  project.
6) How should writers &#8220;read&#8221; the room?
Reading the room is EXTREMELY important. Don&#8217;t get flustered. Stay focused. Deliver your pitch with confidence and forged spontaneity, just like you did the 100 times you practiced it before.
Executives, producers and talent come in all walks. Some are high energy and engaging with buckets of questions. Others are more cerebral, quiet and mysterious, where they hold their cards close to the vest. Neither is better than the other. Your job is to identify them and fine-tune your pitch accordingly.
Pitching can be like facing down a giant beast of intimidation. For some reading this, they&#8217;ll know what I mean if they&#8217;ve seen the now classic, SWIMMING WITH SHARKS. Sharks that haven&#8217;t eaten in days.
<img class="alignleft wp-image-24322" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jakob-owens-dO8qMqWimo8-unsplash-250x188.jpg" alt="" width="436" height="328" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jakob-owens-dO8qMqWimo8-unsplash-250x188.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jakob-owens-dO8qMqWimo8-unsplash-150x113.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jakob-owens-dO8qMqWimo8-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jakob-owens-dO8qMqWimo8-unsplash-1024x768.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px" />
Or it can be a breeze with a seamless dialogue between the writer and other party. This is not only the easiest and smartest path, it&#8217;s often the most rewarding.
Keep in mind the following though. Every single piece of film ever shot and produced, every single digital frame recorded, in all of film and television history, has been a collaborative effort.
So always stay on your game in the room. Remember you&#8217;re selling yourself as much as you&#8217;re selling your ideas and opportunities.
7) What should writers know about the executives and producers they&#8217;re pitching to?
As a manager, one of the core principles I developed since I started on this path a decade ago was to help my clients know not just the market, but to know the players behind the scenes.
So while I don&#8217;t know how other reps handle their client interactions (I work solo), for me personally I spend a fair amount of time discussing the people we&#8217;re approaching and pitching to.
I&#8217;ve developed so many great relationships over the years, from fellow reps to executives and producers, to showrunners and talent, that I actively seek to share what I learn from them with my clients, before my clients even step foot into the room.
Individually, however, regardless of whether or not a writer has that kind of collaboration with their team, every screenwriter should always be mindful and aware of the people they meet with before they sit down. At worst it shows an over-eagerness, but more times than not, it&#8217;ll show a significant sign of respect for the person you&#8217;re meeting with.
The previous is by no means Gospel. I&#8217;m simply one person with his own experiences and opinions. There&#8217;s more than one way to skin a cat in this business.
But hopefully I made an impression. Pitching isn&#8217;t always easy, but it&#8217;s simple. Mathematical even. From logline to outline, delivering an elevated, captivating presentation of the characters, their arcs and the plotting, every facet of the pitch needs to be concise and confidently shared if you want to arrest our attention. It takes time and practice, but doing so with a style and engaging energy will suck us into why we&#8217;re invested and why we care, while also making us see the sales opportunity, parallel to showcasing your vision and talent.&#8221;

7 Ways Screenwriters Can Give A More Effective Pitch

Pitching is a finely nuanced art form. Part performance. Part sales. The final goal&#8230; to get them to say yes! Manager/ Producer Alexander Robb from Insignia Entertainment deep dives into the fine art of pitching.
So much of the screenwriting process is dictated by the first step of the verbal presentation. And every pitch starts with a simple question&#8230; What&#8217;s the concept and the hook? And from there, how do we expand that into a vision per the genre and medium. From logline to artwork to what&#8217;s literally said in the room to the actual script. My hope is to get beyond the surface. So let&#8217;s take a dive into the ins and outs of what many know, yet plenty of others are unsure about&#8230;
Below I&#8217;ll cover an arc of sorts. One to help shed a little insight on not just how to create an effective pitch, but why each layer has a texture that needs to be articulated in a very specific and detailed manner. And ultimately, hopefully, I&#8217;ll shed light on the &#8220;how to deliver the sale of the narrative and characters&#8221;, and other talking points such as market and comps, in the room.
To that end, my perspective here is two-fold. I want to break this down as a manager and I want to break this down as a producer. And how those disciplines coalesce and benefit one another as they relate to the overall idea, strategy, execution, and sale of a pitch.
For me and my business, with how I work with my clients, I look at the following:
<img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-24082" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/priscilla-du-preez-Q7wGvnbuwj0-unsplash.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="444" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/priscilla-du-preez-Q7wGvnbuwj0-unsplash.jpg 640w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/priscilla-du-preez-Q7wGvnbuwj0-unsplash-150x104.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/priscilla-du-preez-Q7wGvnbuwj0-unsplash-250x173.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />As a manager? When building out a pitch, there are a few pillars I look at for how I work together with my clients. I help them focus on their voice via the pitch. To be able to articulate a cinematic rhythm in the room is a big piece of helping my clients convey their characters and story to those across the table&#8230;
But it goes without saying that I gain when my clients gain. And a ton of questions arises when trying to plot the path of creating a pitch together.
Everything within a pitch boils down to what&#8217;s literally said in the room. So as a rep, as I aim at the target of pushing my clients forward, I ask&#8230;
Can I help them focus on the various details of the character arcs? The plotting and subplotting? The tone? The cinematic details of each specific word and punctuation of the pitch?
Quick side note&#8230; Sometimes I will co-create a property as a storyteller as a rep with my clients. My goal in doing so is to tap into their voice per the hook, tone, and characters, and in turn, build a shared vision with the ultimate goal of utilizing our respective strengths, from what we create&#8230;
I mention that because while I don&#8217;t know how every other literary manager and producer works, for me, each pitch I develop is literally a miniature business unto itself. And that often inspires my input to help my clients hone their vision, which I ultimately look to sell. And with that literal creative and personal emotional investment, I calculate how the opportunity benefits my clients&#8230;
For example. How does the idea/property/opportunity tap into my client&#8217;s talent and ambitions? How do their agents see the potential of what we&#8217;re developing? How does that ripple into narrative and character? What do they gain out of the opportunity, both creatively and strategically? What are the ancillary benefits to them as they adapt to the changing tides of the business as they sell their ideas and talent? And how does the property influence future creative and career developments?
That&#8217;s the tip of the iceberg&#8230;
There&#8217;s always a dialogue though because what we do as content creators is as collaborative as any creative industry. And there&#8217;s strength in numbers. Each party brings something to the table.
As a producer? The questions and the ultimate objectives tend to overlap with management, but there are very personal reasons why I produce.
Anything I pursue, I try to pursue to the fullest. And while not everything pans out quickly, or at all, I find myself asking&#8230;
How does the opportunity benefit all parties? Can I sell the idea/pitch? Can I dedicate myself to this idea for years to come (because most sales often take years to achieve)? Granted our focus here is the pitch, but there&#8217;s a lengthy road to hoe that, as a producer, dovetails into the entire business plan for the property and every off-shoot. From logline to a fleshed-out pitch to eventual first draft to final draft (which is often a dozen or more passes), to the painstaking sales to fellow producers, studios, talent and networks (which can be emotionally draining bc you want to prove your instincts to your constituents while helping your client succeed), to the rewarding negotiations when you&#8217;ve struck oil.
All of that is a cumulative calculation for me as a producer. And all of that influences my approach to developing a pitch bc each layer, each step of the process has a bar to reach.
So. Every pitch I develop as a producer has a very real, personal and emotional investment. The very REASON why I do this. Now. It&#8217;s called show-&#8220;business&#8221; for a reason, so as a producer and rep, I&#8217;m here to SELL. But EVERYTHING is based on a vision I share with my clients and partners.
Ultimately, my motivation has always been to create iconic content that stands the test of time.
I think that&#8217;s how every writer should approach their idea and vision. Everyone who sits down and clacks away at the keyboard has a wealth of knowledge. So my advice is to do what I do when carving out a pitch&#8230;
I use all of my knowledge and experience, which we all possess in our own unique ways, to calculate the myriad of factors of the business we&#8217;re pursuing when setting up the presentation of our ideas and why they possess a &#8220;why now&#8221; factor that makes execs, producers and buyer feel like they can be invested in the room&#8230;
<img class=" wp-image-24083 alignright" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wonderlane-w1s5H_3Zn48-unsplash.jpg" alt="" width="438" height="434" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wonderlane-w1s5H_3Zn48-unsplash.jpg 640w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wonderlane-w1s5H_3Zn48-unsplash-150x149.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wonderlane-w1s5H_3Zn48-unsplash-250x248.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wonderlane-w1s5H_3Zn48-unsplash-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px" />
Let&#8217;s bring this back around and get into specifics of how to create a great pitch. I&#8217;ll break it down into the following:
<ul>
<li>Structure</li>
<li>Comps and Tone</li>
<li>Character</li>
<li>Plot</li>
<li>Lore</li>
<li>World</li>
</ul>
Structure. I&#8217;m a big fan of a polished structure that hits the highs and lows of what makes the story and characters pop. That means there&#8217;s a style and rhythm that showcases the energy and vision, that ultimately coalesces into a rhythmic presentation in the room.
The best starting block is a statement with a personal connection to the idea and characters. The value here is two-fold. One. You get to sell yourself. What makes you especially connected to the story/world/characters. And two. What you see in the complete vision for the sale of the property. That is, what makes you definable as a visionary author and creator.
From there? Presenting comps and the tone is essential to how others FEEL your pitch. Keep it sharp. Hit the high notes of a great filmmaker. Hitchcock, Sorkin, Spielberg, Wilder, Nolan, Tarantino, Spike Lee, Wes Craven, Judd Apatow, John Hughes, Kurosawa, the Wachowskis, Michael Bay, Chaplin, Coppola, Danny Boyle, Peter Jackson, Scorsese, Ridley, Kubrick, Cameron, Lynch, the Coens, Capra, Lucas, Tim Burton and literally dozens and dozens of others&#8230;
That then dovetails into character. The most important part of any pitch. In the last decade of running my own shop, I&#8217;ve unfortunately found that not many have a handle on their characters as required by the market. We&#8217;ll get into plot, which is equal to character in the pitch, but I can argue that the biggest part of the pitch is character. That&#8217;s how executives, producers, and talent connect to a writer&#8217;s vision. And per the tone and genre. Make your presentation unique so others see the iconography, and ultimately, the sale.
Now we transition into plot. How do we frame it and how far do we have to go for the sale of the pitch?
In reverse order, in today&#8217;s market, pitching any series requires five seasons minimum. And the more specific and detailed, the better. Outfits like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu want to hear the ENTIRE series. So unless you&#8217;re pitching a broadcast show that can fit the old school format of a test pilot, I&#8217;d suggest every writer knows the arc of their series, from start to finish.
So the plot plays a major role in the pitch. But I also break it down per the genre. For example&#8230;
If I&#8217;m developing a quirky, idiosyncratic, character-driven comedy? I need the hook, the characters, the pilot breakdown, and a broad journey of the characters as they evolve through the years ala THE OFFICE. But some comedic series pitches can benefit from a more specific seasonal arc presentation. Think of SILICON VALLEY that has specific plot development. In a pitch like this? I would need everything above but with a more specific plotting from season to season that highlights the highs and lows of the plot against the character arcs.
If I&#8217;m developing a conspiratorial thriller with a flawed anti-hero? I DEFINITELY look to carve out the rhythms of future seasons after a detailed walk-through of the plot. For as character-driven as the thriller series OZARK on Netflix is? It&#8217;s a very calculated narrative.
And pitching something in that vein requires a writer to cover all of the bases. From character to plot specifics for at least five seasons.
Of course, EVERY great narrative has a &#8220;lore.&#8221; And I&#8217;d suggest every writer has a complete vision for the lore or &#8220;mythology&#8221; of their pitch. Whether that&#8217;s a complex tentpole à la HARRY POTTER or a contemporary situational comedy like MODERN FAMILY, the background, subtext, and history of the narrative all play a role in creating the pitch.
Executives must also get a sense of the story world. This is an umbrella term for everything you see on screen. This includes the locale, time period, genre, mood and style, in addition to what I&#8217;ve already mentioned. A combined sum of the parts.
The point? The highest odds to sell is if we create and present a vivid articulation of our vision, and only if we do so at literally the most polished, rhythmic, stylized way possible. Without a doubt, that&#8217;s a high bar. But that&#8217;s the evaluation as both a manager who takes on clients with the intention of helping them achieve their visions, and as a producer, who can dedicate myself to hundreds upon hundreds of hours of creative and strategic risk vs reward.
I love to ramble but I want to wrap this up with a couple of ideas to help film and TV writers see the potential in essentially valuing the previous because it will help in beating the competition&#8230;
The development of a polished pitch probably takes 3-6 months to fully flesh out. Lightning can strike and cut that time in half, but the development of a great pitch usually takes months to fully realize. But as a writer understands how to frame their pitch with the right details and character/plot rhythms?
A truly great pitch will explore and expand upon every detail, with a smooth rhythm that sucks us into the overall style and energy of the series. The key is to articulate all of that through the emotional arcs of the characters&#8230;
I love what I do. And I do what I do to make an impact. I&#8217;m not always right, but I&#8217;ve been at this for nearly two decades, and my ultimate objectives here were to share my knowledge and experience. If I&#8217;m lucky, a few of you storytellers out there who read this gain something from a little &#8220;inside baseball.&#8221;

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